Draw-gear for railway-cars



. (No Model.) 7

T. A. B-ISSELL. DRAW GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 488,326. Patented DBOLZO, 1892.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. BISSELL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

DRAW-G EAR FOR RAl LWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 488,326, dated December 20, 1892.

Application filed September 19, 1892. Serial Nol46,352. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. BIssELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State ot' New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Oars, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to that class of car couplings in which the draw bar carries at its outer end a hook adapted to interlock with a similar hook of an adjoining car, and in which the draw bar is laterally movable and held in its normal central position by cushioning gprings bearing against opposite sides of the The object of my invention is to provide the draw bar with strong and durable centering springs and to provide simple means for regulating the tension of the springs.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a railway car provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a cross section in line 11, Fig. 1, looking toward the left. Fig. 3 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, in line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar view in line 3-3, Fig. 1, looking toward the left. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section in line 44, Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross section of one of the loops through which the. springs pass. Fig. 7 is an elevation of said loop.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the center sills of the car frame and A the end sill.

B is the draw bar carrying at its outer end the coupling hook O and pivoted at its rear end to the usual follower-frame D by a vertical bolt d, so as to be capable of swinging laterally, in a well known manner. The followerframe D is of ordinary construction and forms no part of my" invention. The draw bar is supported near its outer end in a horizontal strap or carrier E which is attached to the under side of a cross beam E secured to the center sills A.

F F are flat centering springs arranged on opposite sides of the draw bar and bearing with their outer portions against the bar. These springs preferably consist of several leaves and are attached at their inner ends to horizontal bolts 9 which are carriedby depending brackets g secured to the outer sides of the center sills by transverse bolts gias shown in Fig. 3. The springs F and the brackets g are formed with openings for the passage of the bolts g. The front portions of the centering springs are supported in vertical loops h attached to the inner ends of transverse bolts 2' which are arranged in depending arms or brackets I, secured to the under side of the cross beam E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. These supporting arms or brackets project rearwardly beyond the beam 'E and are formed at their lower ends with transverse eyes or openings 2" in which the bolts 1 are free to slide, so as to aiford the necessary lateral play to the front portions of the springs. Each of the loops h is provided in its outer side with a seat or depression h as shown in Fig. 6, in which the head of the bolt 2' is arranged.

J represents a U-shaped strap or frame se cured to the under side of the center sills A and supporting the centering springs between their front and rear ends. The springs F bear with their outer sides against the vertical side bars j of the strap J and these side bars form stops or abutments against which the springs are strained when their front portions are deflected outwardly by the lateral movements of the draw bar. The bolts 9 to which the inner ends of the springs are attached are made lengthwise adjustable in the openings of the brackets g by means of the nuts g applied to the threaded outer ends of the bolts and bearing against the outer sides of the brackets, so that by screwing said nuts forwardly or backwardly on the bolts, the rear portions of the springs are moved toward or from said brackets, thereby increasing or diminishing their tension accordingly.

In the operation of coupling, the spring bearing against the rear side of the draw bar is deflected until the noses of the coupling hooks of the two adjoining cars have passed each other when it reacts and causes the two hooks to interlock in a well known manner. The two springs bearing against opposite sides of the draw bar cushion the same and also serve to return it to its normal position when it is moved out of center in rounding sharp curves.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the car frame and the laterally movable draw bar, of longitudinal centering springs connected at their inner portions to the car frame and bearing with their outer portions against opposite sides of the draw bar, and transversely movable supports guided on the car frame and attached to the free outer portions of the centering springs, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the car frame and the laterally movable draw bar, of longitudinal centering springs attached at their rear ends to the car frame and bearing with their front ends against the draw bar and laterally movable loops guided in the car frame and embracing the front portions of the centering springs, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the car frame and the laterally movable draw bar, of longitudinal centering springs bearing with their front portions against opposite sides of the drawbar and having their rear ends adjustably attached to the car frame, and stops arranged on the car frame betweenthe ends of the springs, against which the springs abut with their outer sides, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the car frame and the laterally movable draw bar, of laterally adjustable bolts arranged on the car frame, longitudinal centering springs attached at their rear ends to said adjustable bolts and bearing with their front ends against opposite sides of the draw bar, and stops arranged on the car frame between the ends of the springs, against which the springs abut, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the car frame and the laterally movable draw bar, of laterally adjustable bolts arranged on the car frame, longitudinal centering springs attached at their rear ends to said bolts and bearing with their front ends against opposite sides of the draw bar, brackets secured to the car frame and having transverse eyes or openings, loops embracing the front portions of the centering springs and having guide bolts which slide in the eyes of said brackets, and a strap secured to the car frame between the ends of the centering springs and having upright side bars against which the springs bear, substantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 8th day of September,

THOMAS A. BISSELL.

Witnesses:

J N0. J. BONNER, FRED. O. GEYER. 

